The Missouri Supreme Court has ruled that the
Archdiocese of St. Louis must release the names of alleged
victims and priests who have been accused of sexual abuse of
minors.

In its Feb. 5 ruling, the court denied a writ of
prohibition requested by the archdiocese in response to a recent
court order by Judge Robert Dierker granting a plaintiff’s
attorney’s request for the release of contact information of
alleged victims of clergy sexual abuse and of priests who have
been accused of abuse. The ruling covers abuse allegations first
made within the time frame of July 1, 1983 and June 30, 2003.

All information to be released is subject to a
protective order, entered by Dierker, to prohibit public
disclosure.

A statement from the archdiocese said that it will
comply with the order. The statement also noted that although
some allegations date back as far as the 1940s, all were
reported within a 20-year window from 1983-2003. Most of the
allegations predate the Catholic Church’s Charter for the
Protection of Children and Young People, which was passed by the
U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in 2002.

Dierker’s order stemmed from a 2011 lawsuit filed by a
woman who said she was sexually abused by the former Father
Joseph Ross, who has since been removed from the priesthood and
from the clerical state.

In its statement, the archdiocese said it litigated to
protect the privacy rights of all involved, including victims
who had no connection to current litigation and who had come
forth confidentially regarding their reported allegations. The
request for information includes names, addresses and phone
numbers.

“It is our fervent hope that today’s ruling will not
deter victims from coming forward to report abuse,” according to
the statement. “Sexual abuse is a sin and a crime. It remains
the firm commitment of the Archdiocese of St. Louis to root out
this evil whenever and wherever it presents itself within our
ranks.

The archdiocesan Safe Environment Office works to keep
children safe through background checks, training, and education
for all clergy, archdiocesan employees and lay volunteers who
work with minors. In a little more than 10 years, approximately
150,000 people have been trained in this program.

The archdiocese also encourages all persons with
reports of misconduct with a minor involving a member of the
clergy or other personnel to contact Deacon Phil Hengen,
Director of Child and Youth Protection, at (314) 792-7704, the
Missouri Child Abuse and Neglect Hotline at (800) 392-3738 or
law-enforcement officials.